


For you? I would.

by Callmekilljoy



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: F/M, Slow Burn, no use of (Y/N), reader is going through it
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-22
Updated: 2021-02-22
Packaged: 2021-03-12 00:13:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,630
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29626143
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Callmekilljoy/pseuds/Callmekilljoy
Summary: Din saves a young school teacher from trouble and forms an unusual attachment to her. Series follows the two of them and their developing relationship over the next decade. Hardcore slow burn, expect at least twelve chapters, eventual smut. Currently just plot building.
Relationships: Din Djarin/Reader, Din Djarin/You
Comments: 4
Kudos: 16





	For you? I would.

**Author's Note:**

> This is set in the 10 years Pre-Grogu and starts in the year 1 BBY. Din is 25/26 years old at the beginning of this series so he hasn’t gotten all rough and jaded yet and plays it a little more fast and loose with the creed (No looking at his face don’t worry, but he doesn’t really care about exposing the rest of his body) plus he’s a lot more talkative and nice. This part is 99% plot set up.
> 
> Come say hi on Tumblr! @ rockpunk

Aledan's dry seasons were few and far between, broken up by weeks of humid rain spells that flooded the fields of balthagrass. The children loved to play in the rivers of slick mud that formed between the rows of plants, spending their days chasing the little black and blue frogs unearthed by the rain. Some of the older kids helped them make shallow tidal pools in the dirt with sticks and rocks to try and keep their little pets in until they inevitably escaped. 

The youngest of them all was only a few months old, her father having no choice but to leave her at the school while he worked as the village leader. You tried to do your best to shield her from the weather while you set out placing buckets around the yard to collect rainwater, keeping her bundled tightly to your chest. She slept happily in the pocket of warmth you had created for her under your cloak, completely unaware of the weather around her. 

You were watching the pan in front of you fill with water when you heard a shrill shriek come from the tall grass, a wave of fear ripping through you as you heard more little screams of terror join in. "MISS!! MISS!!" 

You didn't hesitate as you tore through the underbrush, pushing through the towering stalks of grain, searching for any flash of movement as you tried to find them. You fought desperately against the mud as you spotted a break in the grass at the center of the field, their screams louder than ever. 

"I'm here! I'm here!!" You shouted, bursting into the clearing to see your younglings cowering away from a - shockingly large - loth-cat tearing into the stomach of a squealing rabbit. They ran to you immediately, nearly a dozen tiny pairs of hands fisting in your skirt as they hid behind you. You were all too aware of the now shrieking baby wrapped tightly to your chest as you pulled your blaster from its holster in the front of your skirt and aimed it at the cat, who had now turned its attention towards you.  
You couldn't afford to hesitate as you braced your hand over the infant's head and fired, hitting the animal in the stomach. A screech ripped from the cat's throat as it tried to right itself; it seemed like all you did was slow it down a bit- and piss it off. 

You wanted to tell the kids to run but feared a tiny screaming creature would seem like a hell of a lot more appealing target than someone who had already injured it. Your stomach sinking further as you tried to shoot again, only to hear the click of the blaster jamming.  
  
"RUN!" You screamed, boot connecting with the cat's head as it lunged at you, their tiny shrieks taking off in different directions as you readied yourself for another attack. Stepping back, trying to get some distance from it, when your heel sank into one of the kid’s tide pools sending you hurtling backwards into the puddle. Baby Vera shrieked, crying even harder when a wave of cold water soaked her blanket. 

You sat up quickly, shielding her as best you could as you prepared to use the handle of your blaster as a blunt weapon, pulling a knee to your chest in a last-ditch effort to kick the cat away from you when it was practically obliterated by a shot from your left. Thank the stars, someone from the village finally came to help.

You turned your focus to the wailing baby against your chest, dropping the busted blaster as your trembling hands tried to free her from the soaking wet blanket. 

“Oh, I’m so sorry sweet girl, I’m so sorry!” You groaned as you quickly realized that you were both soaked through. You needed to get her dry as soon as possible, or she was going to get sick. You held her tightly to your chest as you struggled against the seal the mud had created around your bare skin, desperately trying to get up from the shallow hole. 

You couldn’t help but gasp when a gloved hand wrapped around your upper arm, wrenching you off the ground. “Are you alright?” Asked an unfamiliar gravelly voice. 

You spun around quickly, using your body to shield Vera from this stranger, your heart nearly stopping when you were met with the sight of a Mandalorian looking back at you. You tried to speak, but all that came out was stutters as you desperately blinked the rain from your eyes, both arms covering the baby. 

“Y-Yes, I- I-thank you-thank you for saving us.” You choked out. It was only then that you realized you were violently trembling, unsure if it was due to the rain or the adrenaline that had hit you like a Sandcrawler. His shiny helmet cocked to the side slightly as he examined the still whimpering baby in your arms. 

You couldn’t help but tense when he moved, sure he had just saved you, but you didn’t know what he was doing here. It didn’t take long for you to realize that he was removing his cloak, folding it so that the damp side was facing out as he gestured to the infant.   
“Here,” He said softly, allowing you to place Vera in his arms for a moment before quickly surrendering her to you. She calmed down almost immediately, curling into the warmth as you held her back in the familiar position against your chest. 

A crashing sound came somewhere from your left, his hand instinctively flying to the blaster on his belt as you both turned to see a group of men burst through the tall grass, their weapons already drawn. 

Their apprehension was obvious and you had to stop yourself from laughing as you pictured what they were seeing; you were absolutely soaked, and no doubt caked in mud, standing across from a Mandalorian for Maker’s sake, and you had no clue what the children had told them. 

The closest to you spoke up first, “What happened? The kids were screaming that you were being attacked by a gurrcat!” 

You huffed slightly, a tinge of annoyance breaking through your cloud of nerves, “It was just a giant loth-cat, Mando here saved me.” You said, gesturing towards him with your chin, “Which, by the way- it took you long enough to get out here! If he wasn’t here, who knows what would have happened. I’m sure Pretis would love to hear that his child was mauled by a wild animal while her TEACHER tried to protect her.” 

He glared at you, adjusting the grip on his blaster, “Well, we’re here now, aren’t we?” He hissed, lowering his voice, "Ungrateful bitch..."

“Hey!” You almost jumped out of your skin when the Mandalorian shouted, stepping between the two of you, hand fully wrapped around the handle of his blaster. “Watch your mouth.” 

The man next to the one who had shouted spoke up, putting a hand on the one who yelled at you’s shoulder, “Tero- I mean, she’s not wrong. C’mon, it isn’t worth it. Let’s just go.” 

The first man, Tero, scoffed and narrowed his eyes at you, sneering as he turned to glare at the Mandalorian before marching off through the grass. You shivered intensely, and not because of the rain, which was now falling in heavy sheets. Luckily for baby Vera, Mando’s cloak wasn’t even slightly water-soluble. 

He turned back to you now, completely unperturbed by the weather, the rain just rolling off his shiny helmet. “Would you mind showing me to whoever is in charge?” 

“Of course,” You murmured, blinking the water from your eyes. “This way.” 

As you moved through the tall grass, followed closely by the stranger, you realized just how wet you really were. Your boots squelched uncomfortably as you waded through the mud, your skirt sticking to the back of your legs as you fought against it. 

The man moved silently behind you, pushing the stalks out of your way as you worked your way to the edge of the field, allowing you to keep your arms wrapped tightly around the now sleeping baby. 

“That's where the leaders meet,” You said, gesturing towards the largest house with your chin, “Ask for Pretis, he probably already wants to speak with you.” 

He nodded once, helmet shifting to look at the infant in your arms, “Thank you again, for saving us. I’ll get you your cloak back as soon as I can.” 

“Don’t worry about it.” He said monotonously, turning back to look at the building you had pointed out. 

Both of your attentions shifted when you heard a scream from your right, “Miss!! Miss!!” You looked up to see a group of your younglings sprinting at full speed towards you.

You didn't hesitate as you met them halfway, dropping to your knees as they wrapped their tiny arms around you.

“Be careful with the baby.” You said quietly, using your one free arm to pull them closer to you, a few of them sobbing as you did your best to hug them all, pressing firm kisses to the tops of their heads. “Is everyone okay?” You asked, louder now, trying to examine their tear-streaked faces as they fought to bury them in your shirt. 

Some of them nodded, shuddering as they tried to gasp in breaths, while others had spotted the metal man behind you. 

One of the older kids spoke up first, raising a shaking finger to point at him, “Who’s he?” She asked in a voice barely above a whisper. 

“He’s a Mandalorian, he saved me and Vera from that mean ol’ cat.” You explained, smoothing her hair down.

“And he’s a good guy?” 

You laughed slightly and nodded, “Yes, he is a good guy.”

“Why’s he here?”

You laughed again, wiping a drying tear from her face, “Well, aren’t you just full of questions? C’mon, we need to get out of this rain.” You said, rising from the ground, “Who wants to race back to the school-house?”

You were met with a chorus of “Me!!” followed by almost a dozen tiny feet taking off across the muddy courtyard.

You threw a glance over your shoulder as you went to follow them, smiling when you saw the Mandalorian snap his head forward after he realized he had been caught staring. 

There was just something about him that made you want to be close to him, you couldn’t place what exactly, but it was there. It probably had something to do with the fact that he had just saved your life.

You turned it over in your mind as you walked up the steps of the building, thoughts locked on his expressionless helmet as you pushed the door open. Internally groaning when you saw the mud-splattered across the floor, already picturing yourself on your hands and knees cleaning it. 

Today was finally starting to take its toll on you, the baby in your arms seemed to grow heavier by the second, and you were reasonably certain that a thick bruise was already forming on your back. The day would be over soon enough, and you’d be able to go home- well after you scrubbed the floor. 

The younglings were already gathering their things and lining up by the door as you made your way to the back of the room to get Vera a new blanket. “Miss! Can we go early, please? It's not raining anymore!!” The request was quickly joined by a chorus of “Please!!” 

Their tiny voices echoing in the small room was making your head pound as you fought to not get annoyed, “Fine- Fine! Yes, you may go but stay out of the grass!” It was only five minutes, after all. Their cheers almost making up for the throbbing in the back of your skull, Maker had you hit your head when you fell?   
  
You sighed deeply as you placed the fussing baby on the changing table, searching through the drawers for a change of clothes and another blanket for her. “It’s okay little one, I’ll take you back to your dad real soon, alright?” 

She seemed to be as desperate to get out of here as you were, not fighting against you in the slightest as you slipped her into a warm jumpsuit, replacing the Mandalorian’s cape with a fresh blanket. 

It was like a switch had flipped in your head when your fingers fisted in the warm cloak, a smile tugging at the corner of your lips as you remembered the shiny stranger, grateful that you had an excuse to see him again. 

You folded up the grey fabric, setting it on your desk as you headed towards the door with Vera in your arms; you’d come back for it after you’d had a chance to clean up a little bit. You mentally kicked yourself for wanting to look good for him as you made your way over to the meeting house, you didn’t even know this guy! Maker, the bar was ridiculously low; all it took was a stranger not treating you like total shit for you to be ready to throw yourself at him. 

You walked up the steps and rapped on the door with your free hand, stepping back as you waited for it to swing open. Impossibly grateful that Vera had decided to fall back to sleep.

As you entered the building, your gaze immediately locked on the Mandalorian like a magnet, a hot wave of embarrassment filling your face when you realized you were still covered in mud. Why hadn’t you realized he would still be in here! You were the one who told him where to go! Maker, you had to have hit your head. 

“I’m so sorry for interrupting. I just thought you’d probably want to see Vera after everything that happened today.” You said as every head in the room turned to look at you, including the shiny stranger.

Pretis sat in the largest chair at the center of the room, flanked on either side by men armed with staffs, smiling as he saw you enter, “And you were right! Mando here was just telling me all about it,” He said, gesturing to the metal man, “Are you alright?” 

“Oh yes, I’m fine. Just a little sore.” You said, approaching him, “We both would have been much worse off if he hadn’t been there.” 

Vera squirmed slightly as you placed her in his outstretched arms. Glancing up momentarily when you heard a barely audible scoff to see Tero sneering at you from across the room while the leader was occupied with the baby.

Pretis cooed quietly at the little girl before looking up at you, his expression shifting to a more concerned one, “What about your blaster-?”

“Jammed. I think it’s still out in the field.”

He nodded thoughtfully, pulling the blanket away from Vera’s face, “We’ll have to get you a new one. I thank you for protecting our children, both of you.” He said, gesturing again to the Mandalorian. 

A beat of silence passed before you spoke again, “Well, I should be going,” You said, bowing slightly to Pretis before turning, nodding once to the stranger before heading to the door, “Have a good night.” 

You heard the conversation resume as it closed behind you, grimacing slightly when you realized you could have tried to figure out why he was here. 

The irritation dissipated quickly when you remembered that you could finally go take a shower, nearly running back to your small house to get your things. 

Having a fresher connected directly to your home was rare; pretty much everyone in the village used the long bath-house to the west of the central courtyard. Usually, you dreaded the walk, but you were practically skipping with your shower caddy in your arms as you headed that way.

You nearly started jumping when you saw that you were the only person in there, picking the largest stall to hang your things on and immediately turning the water on as hot as it would go. You usually felt guilty using up water like this, but after the rain today you knew the reserves would be full. 

Pulling your shirt off hurt terribly and you weren’t able to stop yourself from groaning as you tugged it over your head; oh, you definitely were bruised. In the time that the room took to fill with steam your head had started pounding again. You probably should go see the village doctor, though you knew you wouldn’t. 

Your mind drifted back to the stranger as you massaged the soap in your hair, avoiding the tender spot on the back. You felt utterly ridiculous as a wave of excitement rolled over you at the thought of seeing him again; you couldn’t believe you were so happy to return a piece of clothing, TO A STRANGER.

Your eyes snapped open as you realized you had no clue where he was staying. He had to have a ship, right? It must be docked somewhere on the edge of the village. You wanted to go see him but knew it wouldn’t be a good idea to go walking around out there after dark without a blaster. Especially not after you had made an enemy of the people supposed to defend the village. Kriff, you’d have to go tomorrow; there wouldn’t be school for another few days, so you’d have a chance to scope it out. 

It was painful forcing yourself to turn the water off, but you were pushing it already with how long you had been in there. Though admittedly, it was an equal relief to finally pull on a pair of fresh clothes. You would have to swing by the school tomorrow to grab his cloak before trying to find him- oh Maker, you hadn’t cleaned the floors either! Well, you’d have to do that too. 

You practically ran back to your house, unable to decide if you were more excited to go to bed for the rest or for tomorrow to come faster.   
By the time the sun had risen, the aching in your back had reached astronomical levels of discomfort, nearly screaming as you rolled over and off of the bed. Today was going to be difficult. You brushed your fingers through your hair, halfheartedly braiding it in an effort to look at least slightly better than usual. Pulling on a jacket before you left.  
Halfway across the courtyard, you heard somebody calling your name, “Hey!”, You turned to see Hardev, one of the gunsmiths, running towards you with something in his hand. “Pretis told me you needed one of these.” He said as he handed you the parcel. 

“Oh! Thank you.” 

He stood there uncomfortably as you opened it, bouncing on the balls of his feet as he watched you, Hardev was a notoriously awkward person, known to spend as much time as he could by himself in the forge and rarely ventured out to spend time in the community.

You audibly gasped as you pulled the fabric back to find a sleek silver pistol nestled in the center, its handle adorned by sleek hand carved swirls. 

“Hardev- Oh maker, this is so beautiful! How much?” You asked, stomach sinking slightly, you would feel awful having to refuse this, but you absolutely couldn’t afford it.   
He waved you off, face turning slightly pink, “Nah, it’s a gift. You lost your old one saving a bunch of younglings; how could I make you pay for a replacement?”   
You didn’t really think before pulling him into a tight hug, “Thank you.” You said quietly, blaster tucked uncomfortably between the two of you, “I’m going to find some way to pay you back for this.” 

His face was now bright red as you pulled away, “It’s no problem really, I’m just glad you like it.” 

You nodded excitedly, “I love it.” A part of you wondered how he had this ready so quickly, you hadn’t even thought about the blaster lost in the field. Honestly, it probably wasn’t lost; you just hadn’t made an effort to find it yet, you weren’t about to say that to him though, not after this.   
“Well. Bye.” He said, face still pink as he turned around with a half-wave. You huffed out a soft laugh; he was so thoughtful but still couldn’t hold a conversation with you.

A smile was still spread across your face as you tucked the blaster into your belt and continued towards the school-house, ignoring the ache in your back as you jogged up the stairs.

The door scraped loudly over the dirt on the floor as you opened it, unable to stop yourself from grimacing slightly as you scratched it with the toe of your boot. You shouldn’t have let it dry, yet here you were, leaving it for later again as you practically skipped across the room to your desk where the cloak sat folded.

You held it close to your chest as you headed back outside, scanning the horizon for any sign of his ship, huffing slightly when you didn’t see anything, you’d have no choice but to ask around. 

Your first stop was to the modest mechanic shop. The likelihood that he needed at least one part for his ship had to be pretty high right? Your village was lucky enough to have some pretty solid resources, enough to be able to have a variety of different services available. 

“Hey Lenal’i,” You said with a wave, tucking the cloak under your arm as you entered the covered garage, “I have to ask y- Oh!” The tiny woman rushed you, cutting you off with a crushing hug, her head barely brushing your chin as she squeezed you tightly. 

“Oh are you alright?! I heard what happened yesterday, I was so worried!” She asked, holding you tightly. 

You laughed softly, trying to ignore the tears brimming in your eyes from the pain shooting up your spine, “I’m fine! I’m fine! It was just a giant rabid loth-cat. I think the story has spun out of control a bit. ” 

She pulled away to get a better look at you, “Um it totally has! I heard it was a Vornskr!” She said dropping her voice like if she said its name too loud it would summon one. “Did you really get saved by that Mandalorian?” 

“Okay, now that part is true,” You said, hissing quietly as she pulled away, “My blaster jammed and he literally saved my ass. I’m still kinda banged up though, not gonna lie.” 

She whispered an apology, grimacing slightly as she realized her mistake before starting again, “He was in here late last night,” She said, returning to her workbench, “Needed this part for a Pre-Empire ship. Aaand luckily for him, Gredi-ji was a kriffing hoarder,” She continued, crouching under the bench rummaging through one of the boxes, “ So! I was able to find one in his old stuff!” She said, rising to her feet and presenting you a hunk of metal with a flourish. 

“Look at you Ms.Mechanic!” You said with a laugh, picking it up out of the palm of her hand, “Just this little thing?” You asked incredulously, scrunching your nose slightly as you held it up in front of you. 

“Hey! I’ll have you know small things can be very useful!” She giggled, gesturing to herself with a mock-insulted expression. 

Your smile growing as you joined her laughter, “Yes and you’re living proof.” You agreed, turning the piece over in your hand, “Oh! That’s what I wanted to ask you, do you know where this ship of his is docked by any chance? He gave me is cloak last night-“ She squealed excitedly, rushing around the bench as she wiped her palms on her pants, “Gave you his CLOAK!? Alright SPILL, you definitely left some things out of the story!” She said, eyes darting to the bundle under your arm.

“No- No- I misspoke okay, that’s not what I meant. He gave me his cloak FOR VERA.” You explained, “She got soaked and he helped me bundle her back up.” 

She visibly swooned at this, giggling again, “Strong, silent, AND considerate? Maker you’ve really caught a good one.”You couldn’t help the heat that flooded your face at her words, ecstatic that just for a moment you could allow yourself to indulge in your pining before quickly shoving it back down, “It’s not like that Lenal’i-““Oh so you’re telling me that you don’t want ANYTHING from that man? Because your face is telling me a different story.” She said in a singsong voice, poking your flushed cheek.

You pushed her hand away, trying to hide your smirk, “Now I didn’t say that-“ You said, trying to ignore her squeal of delight, “I just said it isn’t like that! C’mon do you really think that he would want anything to do with me? He’s a Mandalorian for Makers sake, he literally tours the universe and I am a school teacher who has never so much as left this planet.”

“But he saved you-!” “He was just being a good person! It could have been anyone in my position…” You insisted, trailing off. You knew it was true as much as you didn’t want to admit it to yourself. “Anyways, do you know where he’s docked?”

She stared at you for a few beats; running her tongue over her teeth as you could see her debating letting you end the conversation, sighing finally before turning away, “He’s half a mile out from the edge of town, right next to Neegue Lake. Take that piece to him too won’t you?” She asked, putting on her oversized headlamp.

“Yeah, no problem-“ You said, turning it over in your palm. 

“BUT! You have to tell me everything that happened when you get back alright?” She ordered, flicking her light on, practically blinding you in the process.

You had no choice but to throw a hand up to shield your eyes, squinting as you spoke, “Yeah of course, thanks Nal’i!” You called as you turned around to leave. 

You were barely able to stop yourself from breaking out into a sprint as you exited her garage, making a B-line in the direction of his ship. This was the most exciting day you’ve had in months! First a new blaster and now you were getting to see the Mandalorian again, Maker it felt like it was a holiday. 

You hummed quietly to yourself as you trekked across the rocky terrane, grateful for the light cloud cover blocking out the sun without soaking you with rain. The walk went faster than you thought it would, not even ten minutes later and you were approaching the- admittedly ancient- ship. 

All of your confidence disappeared as he rose from his place on the ground next to a large panel leaned up against the side of the outer hull, putting a hand on his hip as he watched you approach. You hadn’t realized just how imposing his presence was yesterday, your adrenaline having overrun all other senses, but as you approached him now you had to surprise a shiver.

“I- uh. I have your cloak,” You said, holding the rolled up bundle of fabric out to him as you bit your tongue slightly, this was not how you had wanted to start this. 

He stared at the outstretched object for a moment before accepting it slowly, “You walked all the way out here to return this?”

A wave of heat rolled through your chest at this, you said you were going to return it right? Oh maker, he probably didn’t want anyone to come bother him! Why else would he park his ship all the way out here? 

You couldn’t stop yourself from stuttering slightly as you replied, “Y-yeah I, sorry- I probably should have just waited for you back in town.”

His helmet cocked to the side slightly as you said this, “Why are you sorry?”

You knew at this point your face had flushed bright red, how could this conversation already be going so poorly?? “I- I don’t know, you make me nervous.” You admitted, tearing your gaze away from the T-shaped vizor. 

A stiff crackle came through his helmet and if you didn’t know any better you would have thought he had laughed at you. “Here. Lenal’i, the uh- the mechanic asked me to give you this.” You muttered, sticking your hand out to display the metal piece that had left a print in your skin from how tightly you had been holding it. 

His silence made you uncomfortable, not necessarily in a bad way but, you didn’t know how to handle it as you waited for him to take the piece from your outstretched palm. You felt like a small animal waiting to be pounced on by a much bigger predator as he considered you. Right now, he was the loth-cat and you were the squealing bunny, but this time no one was here to save you. You were so wrapped up in his overwhelming energy you had compleatly forgotten that he had saved you in the first place.

“Come help me.” It wasn’t a question. He hadn’t even taken the piece from you, just turned on his heel and marched back to the ship with the cloak clutched tightly in his grasp. Your brain had barely processed what he said before he was already halfway back to the ship, forcing you to scurry after him.

He stopped just outside the lowered ramp before turning around to face you, “Let me see your hand.” He ordered, extending one of his gloved ones to you. 

You couldn’t stop yourself from trembling slightly as you rested your free one in his, palm up. He considered it for a moment before speaking, “Good.” He said with a nod, “Mine are too big. I can’t fit them through the gap in the hull without removing the entire panel.“ 

You felt your eyes widen as you realized what he was asking, “Oh- no way, I- I take care of kids all day Mando, I would screw it up! I wouldn’t even know where to start.” You rambled, trying to convince him.

He huffed lightly, the same crackling sound from before, “I’ll tell you exactly what to do.” You didn’t feel like you had much of a choice but to follow him as he turned and walked up the ramp, crouching down just inside the hull. 

You sighed softly and looked around as he worked on unscrewing the small square panel on the wall. “So uh- what exactly is it that you do?” You asked, running a finger over the four blocks of carbonate hanging from a rod a few feet away, listening to them clank together. If the vaguely coffin shaped indent into the wall meant anything, you felt like it was safe to assume they each contained a frozen body. 

He leaned the panel up against the wall and beckoned you over to him with a single wave of his hand, “Bounty hunting.” He said simply, obviously more focused on what was going on inside the duralloy wall. 

You laughed softly as you crouched down next to him, deciding not to press any further- not right now anyways. “Alright, what do you need from me?” You asked, trying to ignore the way your heart skipped a beat when he leaned in closer to examine the piece still held in your palm. 

“See that prong right there?” He asked, touching a pointy stick jutting out from the side of the block, waiting for you to nod before continuing, “It plugs into a socket thats maybe a foot and a half deep in there. Pinch it like this,” He said, showing you with his fingers, “Then push it down, and I’ll help you solder it in place.” 

“Pinch, push, place. Sounds easy enough,” You said with a nod. 

He made the same crackling noise through his helmet again as he held up the piece for you to grab between your fingers, “Are you laughing? Is that what that noise is?” You asked, turning your head to get a better look at his bucket, a part of you wondering what the metal felt like, barely able to stop yourself from reaching out and tracing the indented line of his cheek.

You sat there waiting a few beats for a response that never comes, “I don’t mean to press, but hey I’m about to stick my arm into a really small hole in your ship and I’m honestly a little nervous.” 

“Yes.” He said simply, turning away to begin heating up the soldering iron, “That time I was laughing.” You nodded thoughtfully, quickly realizing that the vocoder on his helmet would make a lot of the less distinct sounds hard to differentiate between. 

You couldn’t seriously believe that you were about to do this, “Am I going to get shocked?” You asked, hovering your hand outside the opening. 

“Not if you do it right.” He said with a bit of a huff. 

“Well thats reassuring. Good thing I do this all the time.” You said rolling your eyes. 

The crackle was more distinct this time, you could actually hear a bit of the laugh through the static. The corners of your lips turned upwards involuntarily, unable to stop yourself from wondering what it sounded like without the helmet on. 

“Alright,” You said with a deep breath, “If this kills me I’m going to be really annoyed.” You braced yourself as you raised your arm and aimed for the center of the rectangle hole. 

He muttered something under his breath as he adjusted your elbow slightly as you prepared to push it in. 

“Tell me when to stop.” You said in a whisper.

He held your arm in place as you moved it forward, trying not to brush up against the wiring on either side, as you waited for his signal. 

“Stop.” He said quietly, tightening his grip, “Now straight down.” He continued to guide you, as to slid straight into the socket.

You couldn’t stop yourself from laughing as you felt the piece start to heat up as it made contact with the power inside. “Holy shit! I actually did it! I can feel it like- buzzing!” You knew it was just plugging something into a socket but you couldn’t help be slightly proud of yourself. 

This time his laugh was clear, even through the vocoder, as it rang out throughout the hull, “Good job- you’re halfway there.” You felt your cheeks turn bright red at his praise, “Ever use one of these before?” He asked, picking up the heated soldering iron.

You shook your head as he went to hand it to you before stopping, “What’s wrong?” You asked, staring at the man in front of you who had frozen completely, visor trained somewhere near your lap. 

“Uhh-“ He hummed slightly glancing around the hull, obviously searching for something, “Here just use one of mine.” 

“Use your what?” You asked with a giggle, eyes widening as he pulled one of his leather gloves off to reveal gorgeous, tan, human skin underneath. Sure you had guessed he was human but you couldn’t confirm it with his layers of armor and steel protecting him from the outside world, he could have been Mirialan for all you knew.

He wrapped the fabric around the base of the iron with his still gloved hand, holding it out for you to take, “Here, be careful.” He said lowly, “Press this button once the end of it touches where the plug meets the socket.” 

“Are you SURE that you want me to do this?” You asked, shivering slightly as he wrapped his bare hand around yours, adjusting your grip and showing you where to press. You took his silence as a yes as he moved his grasp to your elbow, pressing you to go forward. 

“Don’t look at the light.” He said in a low voice.

“Well how do I make sure its in the right place then?”

Another crackle, “Line it up first, and then press it. Just take it slow.” 

You nodded minutely, wishing you had tested this thing before sticking your arm into a jungle of exposed wires, not trusting yourself to not jerk when it went off.

His head was practically laying on your arm as he peered into the hole, navigating the small space with ease. “Ok, see where it’s lined up?” He asked, pulling away to let you look. You nodded as you observed the angled end of the tool pressed up against the spot where the two pieces joined together. “Alright look away,”He instructed, “Don’t shift,” he said lowly, apparently not realizing that his iron grip on your arm was keeping you from moving even slightly, “Now press.” His finger tapped yours twice, signaling you to hit the button. 

“Hold it down or just once?”

“Just once.” He answered, head returning to its resting place on your arm, watching what you were doing. You wondered if the display on the helmet allowed for him to see the light of the iron without damaging his sight, making a mental note to ask him as you tapped the button once. 

Your face flushed again as he praised you, “Good,” He said, shifting your arm minutely to the left, “Again.” 

This process continued for a few more minutes, a slight shift and a tap, shift, tap, until he was pulling your arm from the side of the hull. He didn’t say anything as he picked up the small panel and started bolting it back to the wall after setting the iron to the side, his empty glove still wrapped around its handle. 

You rose from your place next to him, bouncing on the balls of your feet as you continued to scope out the rest of the ship. Lenal’i was right about this thing being old, sheets of assorted metal made up the majority of the walls like a patchwork quilt, none of them matching each other in texture or color. You wanted to ask him about it but felt like you were already pushing your luck with the questions you had lined up so far. 

You were quickly reminded of his imposing height as he stood from a crouch to look at you, pulling his glove back on. “Thank you for the help.” He said in his vaguely distorted voice, the black T-shape of his visor locked on you. 

“Of course. It’s the least I could do after yesterday.” You said, referring to the incident in the grass. He nodded once, not looking away, “You said you were a bounty hunter,” You stated, hoping to figure out what he was here for, “Is there one out on someone in the village?” 

He glanced away at this, walking around you, deeper into the ship. “No.” He answered simply, punching a code into the panel on the wall which slid away to reveal a small set of shelves, not saying any more as he shifted through the contents of one of the boxes, obviously looking for something. 

“Oh. That’s good I suppose.” You muttered quietly, grateful you weren’t living amongst a wanted criminal while simultaneously understanding this meant he had no reason to stay here. 

A crackle came through his helmet again, this time you knew it wasn’t a laugh, you were going to guess a sigh maybe? He dropped his hands to the edge of the box, pausing his movements without turning to look at you, “Have you ever been to Halbara?” He asked before resuming his search. 

You blinked in surprise, well that wasn’t where you were expecting this conversation to go, “Um- no I haven’t. I’ve never been off Aledan.” You explained, trailing off slightly, mentally scolding yourself for hoping he’d ask you to go with him.

“Ever?”

“Well I was born on Nevarro,” You said, turning to look out the open hatch, “My mother brought me here when I was a few years old and she died a few years after that,” You explained with a sigh, “So now I’m stuck here.” Your chest filled with embarrassment when you realized you had just verbally dumped all of that on him, spinning around to face him to find him already staring, “And that’s- not what you asked, sorry, I ramble.”

He had paused his movements entirely, focused solely on you now, “Nevarro huh? That’s a pretty far cry from this place.” He said, gesturing towards the lowered ramp. 

You nodded a few times in agreement, “Yeah, I guess. I don’t really remember what it was like.” 

“Hot.” He said simply, “Sandy.” 

“You go there a lot?” You asked, hoping the conversation would continue.

He stayed silent for a few moments as you started to fear that you had pushed too far, a wave of relief washing over you when he finally spoke, “Yeah. I do.” He stated, looking at you for a few more seconds before retuning his attention to the box. 

“When are you planning on leaving?” You asked, hoping you weren’t pushing it too far with all the questions.

He pulled something from the box and palmed it, hitting a button to close the panel before turning back to face you. “After I finish the repairs.” He said, approaching you slowly, “Tomorrow probably.”

You wish he hadn’t been looking at you because there was no doubt he saw you finch slightly, “Oh! That’s- Thats good! I uh- I’m glad I was able to help.” Able to help you leave faster- Kriff!! You’ve only had one conversation with the man and yet the thought of him leaving was making your chest ache! You felt compleatly ridiculous, he had made absolutely no sign that he was even vaguely interested in you yet you were ready to drop everything and tour the universe with him. 

He nodded slowly, stopping a foot away from you, his proximity made you shiver slightly “Well. I don’t want to overstay my welcome, I should probably go.” You had to look away from his intense gaze, unable to hold it for any longer. 

“I have more repairs I could use some help on.” It was a statement, not a question, he seemed to have a habit of doing that. You wondered why he did that, was it because he wanted to protect himself from embarrasment if things didn’t work out as planned? Just being around this man created more questions than answers, you didn’t even know his name.

You realized you had been quiet for slightly longer than normal as he shifted his weight between his feet uncomfortably, “Uh- and you want me to help?”

He nodded once, “It would save me some time if you would.”

You were absolutely torn- you could either spend more time helping him out now, possibly form some semblance of a connection, and make him leave faster. Or you could say no, go back to the village with only a single conversation under your belt and no reason for him to talk to you again, and he’d stay for a bit longer. You chose the former, you had to at least try right? “Alright, I mean I’ll do my best.” 

“Follow me.” He said, walking past you towards the hatch- stopping to grab the soldering iron before heading down the ramp. 

Okay c’mon this is your chance, try and get to know him, “So your bounty’s on Halbara?”

“I think so.” He said simply, heading back to the large hole in the side of the ship, crouching down next to the removed panel. 

You copied him, taking the iron from his hands as he gestured for you to grab it, “How do you know where to find them? Is there like a tracker or something?” You asked, squinting slightly as the sun broke through the clouds and reflected off his helmet.

“They’re called fobs.” He explained, peering into the tangle of wires and metal. “Tells you if you’re getting close. Here, hold this.” He said, handing you the piece he had retrieved from the box.

You examined it as he reached into the side of the ship. It was a fairly large metal wheel, the edge scored with ridges maybe an inch deep, “What’s this go to?” You asked, flexing your palm, tilting it slightly. 

“Main coolant pump.” He answered, turning his helmet to rest on the hull as he pushed his arm deeper, all the way up to his shoulder. “Alright, I already took the old one out so you just need to slide it onto the axle. I can’t fit both arms in there at once but there should be enough space for you to place it.” 

“Okay, show me where.” 

“Here,” He said, shifting slightly so you could look through the gap he had made in the wires with his arm, “See it?” He asked, waiting for you to nod, “After its on you’ll secure it with a bolt.” 

“No melting things?” You asked as you peered into the hole, your head hovering somewhere around his chest. Your heart hammered at his proximity, hoping he didn’t catch the way your breathing caught in your throat.

He chuckled lowly, you could hear the sound clearly through the bottom of his helmet and you nearly swooned, “No, no melting things.” He answered, smile clear in his voice. 

“I can do that.” You said, maneuvering closer so you could fit your arm in along side his, “This alright?” You asked, referring not only to the position of the piece but the way your back was pressed up against his chest. Your spine throbbed uncomfortably, the bruise reminding you of its presence, but you didn’t even slightly care.

“Yeah you got it.” He murmured, leaning closer to get a better view over your shoulder. “Now the bolt.” He instructed, using the arm that wasn’t inside the ship to retrieve the piece from the ground- effectively caging you in between his arms. 

He pressed it into your free palm without pulling away, remaining pressed flush against your back as he continued his directions in your ear, “Turn it towards us to tighten it.” 

You felt ridiculous at the way your chest swelled at the word “Us”, it meant absolutely nothing but you loved the way it sounded coming from him, made you feel like you were something more than what was reality. You were snapped out of your thoughts in an instant when your hand brushed against a burning hot piece of metal as you pulled your arm from the hull. 

“Fuck!” You cried, jerking your arm back violently, catching the mandalorian’s ribs with your elbow in the process. He wheezed slightly and keeled over, the hand that wasn’t holding the wires out of the way shooting out to support himself as he tried not to drop his weight on you. 

“Are you okay?” He gasped out, untangling himself from the side of his ship, wrapping his fingers around the wrist of your injured hand, lifting it so he could examine it closer. 

You nodded, your lip clenched tightly between your teeth, “Yeah, I burned myself on something.” You hissed, jerking away instinctively as he tried to run a gloved finger over the puckered mark.

“I- I’m so sorry. I couldn’t feel the heat through my gloves.” He moved his arms to hook them under yours, practically lifting you to your feet without ever removing his grasp from your wrist. “C’mon.” He said, guiding you back towards the inside of the ship. 

“It’s not your fault. I should have been more careful, I was almost done.” You knew your cheeks had flushed bright red, you couldn’t be more embarrassed that you had hurt yourself. 

The sound that came through the vocoder sounded like a snort, “And I should have given you gloves, we both screwed up.” He countered, having you sit on one of the large boxes in the hull, moving back to the same panel from before to retrieve something. 

“I’m sorry.” You muttered, examining the jagged burn on the meat of your thumb. 

He returned to you with a medkit in hand, “For what?” He replaced your grip with his own, pulling your arm to rest on his knee. 

You watched him remove his glove - the same one from before - revealing his perfect golden skin for a second time today. “I elbowed you pretty hard back there.” you explained, “I feel bad that I hurt you.”He stared up at you in silent disbelief, his hands frozen with a tube of bacta between his fingers, “You didn’t hurt me.” He said with a huff of amusement, returning his attention to your thumb, applying a generous amount of the gel to your burn before searching through the kit for a bandage. 

He glanced up when you remained silent, a familiar crackle coming through his helmet when he saw the look of disbelief on your face, “I am fine, I promise.” He assured you, wrapping the dressing carefully around your palm, making sure its secure before taping it off on the back of your hand. 

“You’re good at this.” You muttered, inspecting his work. 

He stacked his supplies back in the medkit, raising up from his position on the ground to return it to the cabinet, “I’ve had a lot of experience.” 

“Are you sure that I didn’t hurt you?” You asked, rubbing a thumb over your bandage while you watched him from your place on the box. 

He huffed again, offering you a hand to help you up, “Feel this?” He asked, using his grasp on your wrist to guide your fingers to the flight suit covering his side. “I’m fine.” You pressed down gently, surprised when it returned to its previous state almost immediately. He was well protected. 

You hesitantly moved your hand to his chest plate, tapping the pads of your fingers on the material, “Y’know, you should cover your whole torso in this.” You murmured, “Wouldn’t have any weak spots then.” You moved to poke him in the side for emphasis but he was faster than you, snatching your wrist midair.

“Don’t need it.” He said simply, tilting his helmet to the side. 

He released you as soon as you tugged at his grip slightly, watching your moves carefully, “What’s this made of?” You asked, running a finger over his armor, “It doesn’t feel like durasteel.” 

His hand remained half-raised in the air, like he was waiting for you to do something sudden, “It’s not. Not completely. It’s been cut with beskar.” He must have seen the way your brow furrowed in confusion as you searched your brain for the word as he continued, “Mandalorian Iron.”

“Ah,” You said lowly, continuing to run your fingers over the dents in the armor, “And your helmet?” 

He hesitated to answer this time, you had a feeling you were teetering on the edge of a dangerous subject, “Pure beskar.” There was a shift in his voice when he spoke this time, you definitely were pushing it. 

You were about to drop it but something inside of you told you not to, what was the harm right? It was very likely that you’d never even see him again, you’d regret it forever if you just walked away right now- you were already in deep enough as it is. 

“Can- Can I touch it?” You asked hesitantly, gaze locked on your own reflection in the dark t-shape of his visor. He said nothing, the panic in your chest tightening as he stood their compleatly frozen, simply staring at you silently. 

You weren’t sure how long the two of you remained there like that - your palm resting on his chest plate while you looked up at him, his hand still half raised away from his body as he stood unmoving- before he nodded, hesitantly at first but still a nod. 

His hand wrapped around your wrist again as you raised a finger to touch his cheek- his grip was not tight enough to be restrictive but enough that he could stop you in less than a second if you took it too far. You slotted a finger into the indent of his cheek that you had been eyeing all day, tracing down and pausing right where his lips would be, tapping once.

“It’s cold.” You said softly, scared that if you spoke too loud it would scare him away. Another nod. The tightness in your chest was nearing a breaking point as he refused to speak. “I’m sorry- I’ve been asking you questions all day.”

His response came out almost as a whisper, “I don’t mind.” It was an odd feeling, to have a man of his standing in life to be so vulnerable at your hands.

“Do you ever take it off?” You asked in a whisper, finger still lingering on its surface.  
His grip on your wrist tightened significantly- you wanted to pull away from his helmet but feared he would take any movement to mean you were going to remove it. He shook his head definitively this time, “Not around other people.” His whisper was gone compleatly, his previous tone returning as he pushed your hand away from him. 

You already suspected what the answer was going to be but your heart sank slightly as he pulled away nonetheless. You forced yourself to swallow thickly past the lump of embarrassment that was clogging your throat as he turned away from you. You had pushed too far. 

You quickly blinked away the tears that had filled your eyes while his back was turned- you couldn’t be sure if they were from shame or rejection, probably a bit of both. The way your chest ached desperately to comfort him, to apologize for crossing a line told you it was time to go. You had allowed yourself to forget the fact that he was leaving, that he doesn’t belong here, that he won’t be staying, that you couldn’t get attached.

“Um- I should go.” You said, clearing your throat, “I’m glad that I was able help today.” He turned on his heel to face you again, his body language unreadable. “I’ll uh- I'll see you around.”

It was your turn to walk away this time, heading towards the ramp as you prepared yourself for the walk back to the village when something wrapped around your elbow, stopping you in place. “Wait.” You allowed him to turn you back around, his hand lingering on your arm, “I’m sorry. You don’t have to go.”

You found yourself staring up at your own reflection in silence again, grappling desperately for words that weren’t there, “You have repairs to do, I shouldn’t keep you.” You whispered, hoping your emotions couldn’t be seen in your face.

He nodded slowly, looking past you at the wall of the ship, “Okay.” He said quietly, removing his grip from your arm and echoing your words from before, “I’ll see you around.” 

Disappointment stung painfully in your chest as you halfheartedly waved goodbye, walking down the ramp towards the small town. You didn’t want to go either but you really couldn’t stay any longer, you were desperate to escape the emotions that were already brimming at the surface, you weren’t ready for him to leave- plus it was getting late. You didn’t understand how you had spent so long out there, the sun had already started to lick at the tops of the surrounding trees and was going down fast, the day was already almost over. 

He is leaving tomorrow - he is leaving - you repeated it over and over again in your head as you struggled to keep your footing on the rocks slick with moss. It had been fun to play pretend for the day, to be able to pretend that you were more than just a school teacher in a tiny village on a barely inhabited planet, that someone could possibly want to take you someplace more. Maybe that’s what was making it hurt so badly, the fact that it could never be true, you would never reach that something more. 

Before you knew it you were approaching the edge of the tall grass surrounding the town, the sky a milky purple as the sun descended the rest of the way below the edge of the horizon. You allowed yourself to stop for a moment and breathe, turning to face the direction you had just come from, quickly realizing that you had been subconsciously searching for the curved engines of his ship over the rocky hills. 

You decided to indulge yourself, just for a moment, glancing around for a boulder tall enough to see over the horizon and scaling it. The bandage on your hand made it more difficult than it would have been normally but the climb to the top payed off, as when you stood you found yourself staring straight at the ship, his ship. You lowered yourself into a sitting position, resting your chin on a folded fist as you watched a distant figure moving around outside its hull. 

You remained there until the light, or lack of, forced you to return to the ground. You didn’t want to go see Lenal’i, you just wanted to go home, aching desperately to allow your emotions to overcome you, but you had been gone all day and she was bound to be worried. Thats what you repeated yourself as you forced your body through the stalks of grass towards the center of the village, knowing if you lost motivation even for a moment you would find yourself collapsing in bed without visiting her at all. 

It wasn’t long before you found yourself standing in front of the shop, forcing two deep breaths before opening the wooden door. Her tiny head peered over a table when she heard the creek, followed by her immediately abandoning whatever it was she was working on to practically rush you, squealing in excitement. 

“Oh you’re back!! I was starting to get worried!” She said looking you over, “What happened to your hand?” She wrapped her fingers softly around your wrist, examining your palm closely. 

“I was helping him with some stuff on his ship and burned myself, it’s no big deal.” She narrowed her eyes slightly as she looked back up at you, obviously not satisfied with your answer. 

“Sooo?” She dropped your hand back to your side, returning to the other side of her bench. 

“So what?” You asked, leaning against the wall near the door, ready to make a break for your bed. 

“How’d it go?! Cmon tell me everything don’t leave out any of the gory details, or the sexy ones.” She demanded, raising her eyebrows suggestively as she said the last part. 

“Lenal’i! Nothing happened!” You exclaimed, feeling your ears heat up at her insinuation. 

She scoffed in disbelief, gathering her tools to return them to their box, “Oh yeah right, you were gone for the entire day! Nothing happened my ass.”

You huffed slightly, knowing you weren’t going to get away without giving her a story, “I gave him back his cloak.” She paused her movements, looking at you expectantly, “And I helped him with a few repairs. Installed that piece you had me take him.”

Her jaw fell open as she stared at you in disbelief, “YOU installed something in his ship?! Maker he’s just asking to be stranded here.” She said, huffing in amusement.

“Hey! I did a good job!” 

Her small sigh quickly turned into full out laughter, “Oh you know I’m kidding! I’m proud of you- I’ll have to teach you some tricks so you can show off next time.” She said, gesturing towards you with the tool in her hand. 

The wave of disappointment that had receded washed over you again, “It doesn’t matter, it’s over, he’s leaving.” You muttered, toying with the edge of the bandage on your hand. 

She refused to let up, “Oh so you’ll just have to hope your work was shotty enough to keep him here. Yknow the two of you could go get a drink at the cantina later.” She said, looking up at you thoughtfully. Your heart drummed excitedly at the prospect but you were quick to beat it back, reminding yourself- he is leaving. 

The expression that flashed over your face was enough for her to pull back a bit, “I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’ll stop. But I’m serious about you seeing him again.” She muttered, returning her attention to picking up the garage

“Just drop it okay! There’s absolutely nothing there! I’m serious!” You immediately felt bad for snapping at her but you couldn’t help it. You wanted to see him again too but you couldn’t allow yourself to think like that, his impending departure was already weighing on you enough as it is. 

The look on her face was enough to cement the feeling of regret in your chest, “Jeez forgive me for getting excited over the first new thing coming to our town in moths.” 

You sighed, practically cutting her off with your apology, “Look I’m sorry okay- I just- he’s leaving tonight I- I don’t want to talk about it anymore. I already feel ridiculous enough for telling myself there’s something there in the first place, I don’t need you feeding into too.” You explained, scraping the ground with the toe of your boot.

“Oh sweetheart, you’re not ridiculous.” She said, shutting off the lights in the back of the shop, “I’m the one who should be apologizing, I shouldn’t have kept pressing you.”

“It’s okay. I just want to go home. Y’know, force things to go back to normal.” You muttered, willing your tears to stay in your head, at least until you could get home. 

“Well we’re all gonna be at the cantina tonight if you want to come.” She said, stopping right in front of you, the light overhead the last left to be turned off. 

“Thanks,” You smiled, leaning into the soft hand she had rested on your arm, “But I’m just gonna go to bed.” You said, walking with her to the exit.

“Alright, you’re welcome to come if you change your mind.” She said with a smile, locking the bolt on the door before closing it behind the two of you. 

“Have fun okay, tell Sandora hi for me.” You were already backing up towards your house, like a magnet was pulling you towards it as you waved goodbye, having to stop yourself from breaking out in a run to get there faster. 

You knew you should have taken a shower but you physically couldn’t bring yourself to get further than your front door, plus wash day for all the linens was tomorrow so spending one night in your bed without being clean wouldn’t be the end of the world. The tears had started to brim in your eyes as soon as you had turned your back on Lenal’i and were not flowing freely down your cheeks. 

You felt utterly ridiculous for being so broken up over the Mandalorian. You had met him not 24 hours earlier and yet it felt like you were losing something significant with his departure. None of it was real, you had built this entire “relationship” with him up in your head. Life would return to normal in less than two days. He is leaving and you are staying. You repeated it over in your head until the warmth of the sadness in your chest lulled you off into a dreamless sleep.


End file.
